Historic Photos

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Featured Image
Southern Pacific "El Gobernador"
"Weight, ready for the road."
El Gobernador, or "The Governor," was built in 1882 by Central Pacific Railroad at the railroad's Sacramento shops, but it was not put into service until 1884. At the time it was built it was the largest locomotive in the world and the only locomotive of the wheel arrangement 4-10-0 to operate in the United States. It operated as a helper locomotive over the Tehachapi Mountains, but because of its weight and the cost to fuel it, it was scrapped in 1894. The Californian lamented, "We shall not again hear the sounds of that memorable bell it carries as we once used to when came thundering into town."
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137.SP.ElGobernador.1


With a photograph collection of over 400,000 images, the Kern County Museum is one of the largest repositories of historic photographs in California. The Kern County Museum is working to make its collection more accessible to the public by posting a fraction of its collection on this website. If you would like to order a copy of one of the images in these pages, contact Lori at wearl@kcmuseum.org with the brief identification and description found below the image. If you can't find the image that you want on our website, you may need to visit the museum. Contact wearl@kcmuseum.org to make an appointment to view the extensive photograph collection.

Costs for photograph reproductions vary according to size, intended use, and quantity. Please see the below forms for information on ordering reproductions.

Important Information and Forms:

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Agriculture		 historicphotobutton9:
Bakersfield Businesses		 historicphotobutton13:
Bakersfield Landmarks		 historicbutton17:
Bakersfield's "Lost Treasures"
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Bakersfield Sound Images		 historicphotobutton8:
Bakersfield Street Scenes		 historicphotobutton2:
Black Gold

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Carleton Watkins' Images of Kern County
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Dust Bowl		 historicbutton21:
Government
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Kern County Homes		 historicphotobutton4:
Kern County Hotels and Motels
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Kern County Parks
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Kern County Schools		 historicphotobutton15:
Kern County Towns and Communities		 historicphotobutton10:
Kern River
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Mining		 historicbutton22:
Mountain Views		 historicphotobutton3:
Personalities		 historicphotobutton7:
Railroad Transportation
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Sports		 historicphotobutton12:
World War II

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1952 Earthquakes		 historicphotobutton14:
More Photographs


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